narutofanonfandomcom-20200222-history
Introit: The Return
Haijō figured it was mid-October and snow would be coming soon. The rain pounded upon the earth with great impunity as if affronted that the world would dare be dry for even a single moment. The earth was the demure daughter with childish wonders and the dark clouds overhead was the father, towering above the sordid child with a sickeningly sweet smile. These were the thoughts Haijō had been having for the past week as it had refused to stop raining, and in the night the rain seemed to intensify and become so great that his mind began to wander like right now. Currently, the now sixteen year old stood in a dilapidated cabin that had a modest four walls of wood, which constantly creaked and strained to resist the weather outside. The walls echoed every so often and the single flame in the middle of the cabin refused to break the darkness that clouded the corners of the cabin. As his thoughts went down this road, his mind veered to his life thus far, more specifically, his training up till this point. When he was recruited/forcibly taken into The Orphanage his experience with training had been a lot more hands off, his ANBU sensei (if you could even call them that) were cruel sadists. The living conditions in The Orphanage were dirt-ridden barracks scarce of happiness and hope and innocence. They said everyone living together was to increase cohesiveness and camaraderie among the populace. But I doubt that. Training there was...different, as was teaching, if I compare it to my later teachers. At The Orphanage they taught me things, then trained me on them with a very hands-off manner and in a disturbingly sadistic way. For example, they would lecture me about how ration bars saved lives and then proceed to not feed me for two weeks, talk about how when being behind enemy lines one couldn't use their chakra for certain things such as fire, and then abandon me in a frozen tundra with chakra suppressors forcing me to use flint or waterproof matches, or tell me about how important it was to have a water purification tablets and then leave me stranded in the desert for a few days without food or water. Survival exercises was apparently common for a ten year old orphan child to practice according to Ei. Needless to say, I would never forget their lessons, nor the ones regarding surviving torture/interrogation situations.... It was that type of training; which basically trained me around stealth, assassination, information-gathering, trap-making, and other basic needs for survival such as not to rely on a basic henge and at times, apply make-up, contacts, or other assortments. The only actual combat training we went through revolved around kenjutsu and genjutsu. Additionally, we were actually taught very little chakra-based exercises aside from learning our nature transformation and enhancing physical ability with chakra; something of which was quite difficult with the constant experiments preformed on our chakra coils and tenketsu and the lack of control exercises. But hell, that was just training, the torturing experience, which admittedly left me scarred for life, was the mental conditioning and field test. Haijō stopped himself. He did not want to think about that anymore. He continued down this path and thought about his meeting with Tōme and the subsequent training and missions done along with Kill Unit Shintogo. He was fond of them that was for sure; not so much as to call them family, but definitely the closest thing he had to normal shinobi relationships. Shintogo was the kind, yet often stern realist father who could have fun but get shit done when required of him; Suzume was the logical thinking aunt/medic who could be as broody as hell sometimes, but was nice once you got to know her. Tōme had to be the best though. His sister-figure gave him solace in a house and comfort in attitude, plus she was crude and often spoke the brutal honesty, traits of which he admired. Training with them was more specified and simple then before, not as tough, but definitely difficult. For example, Tōme once had him balance multiple objects on him while defending himself in a running battle with multiple attackers struck from different angles or climbing mountains, in similar manner to the tree-climbing exercise but during snowstorms forcing him to increase his body heat and slow his metabolism via chakra. Both examples of which increased his chakra control exponentially. He did other things of that like with Shintogo who had him practice kenjutsu kata consistently atop turbulent streams or Suzume who helped him work on his earth release techniques. It was a more hands-on, and honestly pleasant experience. Plus, it was a great change from the detached manner in which his sensei's at The Orphanage taught him. They were still slave drivers though. Basically, free time was absent with them. And when on leave from active duty they often preformed simulation exercises that helped them in real scenarios; similar 'simulations' that made even ANBU trainee think twice. But, alas, his final teacher had been, to put it in one word, impossible. The Former Guardian of Kumogakure. The Great Rapper of Lightning Country and The Fantastic Master of the Hachibi - Killer Bee. He was the second most powerful and wisest shinobi in the country, having gained experience from two wars and fought his fair share of S-rank shinobi and survived with minimal ease. That was his sensei. And by far, his best to be fair, but ask him and he would deny it without hesitancy. Despite what many would say about running off into battle with valor and heroism; that was a damn lie. Shinobi are not Samurai and we cheat, steal, and lie, something that Killer Bee could relate to along with me. He related to my self-hate and guilt, which stemmed from my parents disapproval (according to Bee), in which I gained my motivation for becoming a powerful shinobi. He connected to me like no one else had or could for that matter, but I hated that sympathetic eye he would always glance my way. I abhorred that look he would give me when I recounted details about his now insane brother and how he attempted to amend for his brothers actions. Regardless, of how much I kept him at arms-length due to his damnable pity, he trained me exceptionally, almost as if I were his own son....But his son died so I had no idea why he called me that when I had left. He made a mediocre Chūnin with a great mind for traps and earth release into a complete monster when on-and-off the battlefield, in my humble opinion. I could never, and still cannot defeat him no matter how many times I tried to do so, but that's beside the point. What made me strong was the simple fact that he was real. I figured that because he was never a teacher before, so when he became one he took it very seriously. Bee trained me relentlessly to do what he could not: end the civil war by murdering his brother, Ei. Every day was a battle with such a sense of urgency that I could not help but become stronger, and by extension, smarter. After all when you're tasked with withstanding an onslaught, (which Killer Bee incorrectly labeled as a full-on spar) with a Jinchūriki who had perfect control over his Bijū you naturally learn to deal with a few Jōnin, and hopefully, a former Kage. Compared to his Bee though, every enemy had dulled senses, a slow reaction times, diminished strength and a lack of chakra. Speaking of chakra, as I quickly found out, due to the experiments on those at The Orphanage my chakra capacity will continue to grow which forces me to constantly improve my control. I was mildly displeased once I learned such but easily got over it once I began the daunting training regime had had began for me which basically consisted of me becoming a berserker-esque combatant. For the past two and a half years, training with an S-rank shinobi had been eye-opening to say the least. However, Haijō's train of thought was abruptly cut off when thunder boomed overhead and he winced and instinctively moved closer to the contained fire in the middle of the cabin. "I'm sorry for being late." He stated belatedly, following a pregnant pause that left him feeling a tiny bit depressed. However, his mind quickly took a one-eighty and his voice became high-strung into a sing-songy manner, "I was late. The war began without me and now I have to end a civil war, kill a former Raikage, become a Kage myself, and unite an entire country." He grinned casually, "better late than never," Standing up, the short but deceptively athletic and dexterous youth stood, remaining steadfast to his cause of becoming Raikage and ultimately, proving everyone from his childhood wrong. And, with his selfish goals in mind the light flickered once more, suddenly illuminating the 5'10 Chūnin. He had white gauze (bandages) around his legs and arms that reached his knees and elbows, respectively. He was also adorned in black form-fitting pants that breathed considerably well considering he made it himself and a sleeveless grey jacket that contrasted the dark-skinned splendor of his well-trained body. Moreover, two katanas were strapped to his back along with three storage scrolls inside a larger ten-inch high scroll at his right thigh that contained ninja weaponry; wires, bombs, medical kit, survival kit, a dozen kunai and shuriken, a chakra conductive net and a canteen. Haijō Kobushi looked out the single window to his left and waited with baited breath, cursing the rain that kept him from reaching the offensive outpost near Kumogakure and preventing him from ending this damn war already. Seriously, how much longer did he have to wait before becoming Raikage?! Elsewhere Darui, The Godaime Raikage of Kumogakure no Sato, brow was creased in frustration, his hand nearly numb from a days worth of filling out paperwork. From having closed the borders Kumo shinobi are taking less missions, merchant guilds or losing money along with major companies across Kaminari no Kuni. Moreover, the defense line of the adversary - Niten - has proved incredibly resilient. Darui sighed, knowing that it's much easier to fight a defensive war in an area like Kumo, especially when their leader is someone like Ei, a former Raikage himself. To make matters worse, a large portion of his ANBU had been compromised two years prior, defecting in large numbers and with their leave, cost hundreds in property damage and even attempted to kill those who outwardly refused to join them. One such case was with his former student Shintogo, who endured fighting off two defecting ANBU before being rescued. Dismissing his thoughts for now, he removed his Raikage hat and placed his hand on the wall, pushing chakra into the overlay seal and privacy seal that was embedded into the office. He then waved his hand in a nonchalant manner, dismissing the twenty ANBU that had been in his office at the time. "Well, it's great to see that you've been well these past few years..." Darui's bored tone was not missed by the recipient. "They made you Raikage. I can't imagine how hard that been on you." The voice responded, lively yet nowhere close to its former vibrancy and enthusiasm. "The kid is on his way to the front line near Region 24 far up north." "Good, he got the messenger bird. I was hoping it wouldn't reach you." He paused, "so, Haijō's heading toward the Daimyō and his family." "Yes, Darui." "You'll never call me Raikage-sama, will you, Bee?" "Never." Bee replied in a curt manner, leaving no room for response, yet despite this Darui could only see the rapping crazy Bee who would jump around and sing before being kicked in the jaw by his older brother---things would never be the same. "Are you okay?" Darui asked genuinely. At first he got no response, but Darui quickly amended this, "answer me, please. You've known me since I was a child and you've been a partial caretaker of mine. Just tell me how I can help?" "I failed...everyone. I let Ei go down the same path his father did." Bee stated, knowing that Darui knew what he meant. It was deemed an S-rank secret by Kumo and had never been told outside of a small circle of individuals but the technique, Hell Stab and to a greater degree, the Lightning Armour both, essentially, made the users insane. Not instantly, but over prolonged use of the technique. Both should have been labeled kinjutsu but the Third had too much power at the time and was only deemed insane days before he began to have grandeur illusions of himself, which led to him believing he could take on one-thousand shinobi at a time. In learning to manipulate lightning jutsu the caster must first learn to control the electrical surges and flow within their own body and control and produce lightning with their chakra as well. As many know, consistently using whats own bio-electricity to preform techniques is incredible stupid and negligent; and will eventually cause irrevocable damage onto the brain, by diverting the brains bio-electricity from the nerves and currents. This causes the brain to misinterpret signals and develop a bad proclivity in regards to motor function, memory, and cognitive thinking. What the Third did not know was that, instead of mastering his chakra control and Lightning element to perfection, he instead used a 'cop out' and instead used his body's bio-electricity to compensate for the lack of control he had over lightning. Apparently, the Third Raikage developed the Hell Stab to deal with the Gyūki, but because he used it frequently during the war, his mind began to veer.... And now, his son went down the same road. Except to a much greater extent due to the fact that Ei does such with his entire body, in contrast to just his arm. The Lightning Armour jutsu, which encompasses the whole body, leads to mass hysteria, delusions of grandeur, loss of memory, and then, basically devolves the brain to a point where the different between a rabid animal and a user of Lightning Armour would be nigh unidentifiable. Darui snapped back into attention, "--let my son die, my wife kill herself....let you take on a responsibility you weren't ready for...And now I've led a sixteen year old to his death." Darui leveled his eyes to the far corner of the room, knowing that Bee was there despite the sole darkness that inhabited that particular area. "I may have not been ready then, but that's no longer your problem nor can you do much about it. Plus, I have confidence in Haijō..." "What makes him so special? Sure he has a past but he comes from a simple background. It's not like he has any bloodline. I mean, he was a decent student; responsive, attentive, snarky as hell, but still." The Raikage smiled deceptively, "You saw it in him." Upon the silence that followed Darui knew he had hit home and continued his line of thought. "That desire. That selfish desire he has that makes him like he is - to protect his friends so he can become stronger, to kill for his village so that he can gain glory, and to gain strength so that he may take on higher-level opponents. All for his own selfish mindset." "...he wants to become Raikage." "That will never happen as long as I'm alive. I cannot, in good mind, let him become Raikage because of how his mind works. He sees most people with varying levels of disrespect and contempt, as if no one is deserving of him. The few he does care to stop and listen to, he feels naturally disconnected with the natural world because of his childhood trauma." Bee frowned, nostalgically reminding himself of the nightmares that plagued his dream - his family. "I can only imagine how this war will further hamper his view on the world. How it'll deepen his animosity and selfishness. "You can only hope. And hope is the best thing you can do for him now." Back to Haijō